Wheeled animal figure toy



5 M. METH WHEELED ANIMAL FIGURE TOY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 20,1950 INVENTOR. MAURICE METH BY fr 4 Q l, o AIIZH VW Oct. 9, 1951 M, METH2,570,834

I WHEELED ANIMAL FIGURE TOY Filed March 20, 1950 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. MAURICE ME 'IH animalsxhead andhas secured to'iits upper end ahandlebar [4 of ordinary construction.

Patented Oct. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT O'FFlCE WHEELED FIGURE TOY.Maurice Meth, Bronx, .N..Y.

Application March-20, 1950,'Serial N0. 150,577

"This invention relates to new and useful improvements in toys, and,more particularly, a wheeled toy on which a child-can ride. 7

One object of the invention is the provisio of a wheeled animalfiguretoy on whicha child can ride, and which has imparted to it b therotationof its wheels'a hopping motion peculiar to the animal which itrepresents.

.Another object of the invention "is the "provision ofm-eans whereby therider can steer the toy.

Still another object of :the invention is to construct the toy so thatonly the rear portion thereo'i is moved up and down to provide'thehop-pin motion. .-A still further object of the invention is theprovision of meanswhereby the toy can either be pushed or pulled along.by a person other than the rider.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel fea- 'tures of the invention are more particularly setforth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the toy of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the chassis of the'toy with the animal figureremoved.

Fig. 3 is a sectional viewof thechassis on li-ne 3-- 3 of Fig. 2. 4

Fig. 4 is a sectional View of the-chassisonline '4-4 of'Fig. 2. a

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view from beneath'the front end of the chassis.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but 'with-the mechanism concernedwith steering the toy in an altered position. i Fig. '7 is a fragmentarysectional view on line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentar sectional view on line 8-8 of'Fig. 4 showing thecranl -turned"180.

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view'similar toFig.

1 but illustrating means forpushingthe toy.

"The wheeled toy, according to'the first'form 16 :LGlaims. (Cl.280-147)' of the present invention illustrated in Figsfll "supporting achild thereon. A steering column 13 projects upwardly through the rearof the The legs I5 of the =animal aremounted on.substar-Itially parallelfront to rear strap metal frame members 16 of the chassis of the toy,see also Fig. 2. At their front ends, see Fig. 3, the .frame members 16are secured by bolts II to a cross piece l8 whose ends are turned downandsecu'red by bolts 20 to the upturned ends of a second cross piece 2!.Also secured to the cross piece 2| are the front ends ofthe main chassisframe members '22 which at their rear ends are joined together by across bar 23, and have the rear axle'fl journaled therein.

Referring now to Figs. 2,3, 5 and Bathe cross piece "21 has pivotedcentrally thereto zbytabolt 25 a longer cross member 26 in whosedownturned ends "the 'f-rontaxle 271 is journal'led. Preferably a washer2'9 is providedb'etween members 21 and M5. Wheels 28 of :anysuitablelsort are secured on the outer ends :of the front and'rear axles21 and 24 preferably by squaring the ends of the axles. 'On either sideof the pivot bolt 25 the cross member 16 has pivoted thereto in.anyusuitable mannersuchas by rivets3ll, a :rearwardly ex.- tendingsteering frame member 3|. The frame members are pivoted at their rearends to across piece'32. Located above the .crosspiece 32 is anothercross bar 33 secured'at its ends to the :main frame members'22 andhaving the steering column I3 journalled in the center thereof. Thelower end ofisaid column is squared as best shown at '3 l -insFig. 7 andfixed in the center of steering frame cross piece-32. A cotter pin 35 isprovlded to prevent the column it from being pulled up'out of engagementwith the cross "piece 32.

' The construction is such that normally the irontwvheels 2B are in'tl'ieposition of Fig. '5 to provide straigh t'line travel of the toy,but by turning the handle bar 14 and thereby the steering column l3, thecross 'pieoe'32 is shifted to a position such as that shown in Fig. 6which by means of the frame members '3] shifts the cross member 26 andthereby the wheels 28 to the turning position of Fig. 6. Thus, the toycan be steered by "the rider thereof through the medium of the handlebal4.

' Means is provided for limiting pivoting of the cross member 26 ineither direction for preventing the front wheels 28 from being turnedtoo 'far under the wheeled toy unbalancing the front end thereofresulting in the toy spilling its rider. That means is characterized bypins 22*, see Figs. .2, 3 and 5130 "7, which depend from the bottomfaceofthe main frame members '22 in the path of pivotal movement of thecross member 26. Whenthe "cross member "215 "is pivoted in eitherdirection it strikes one of the pins 22 see particularly Fig. 6,limiting pivotal movement of the cross member 26 in that direction.

In the simplest form of the invention the toy may be provided with apull rope 36 attached to cross piece I8 by means of a hole 31 providedtherein, see Figs. 1 and 2, so that the toy, with a child seatedthereon, can be pulled along by a second person.

In order that the animal l0, here shown as a horse, can be providedwhile the same is traveling along on the wheels 28 with a gait similarto that of a horse, the following means are provided.

The rear axle 24, as described hereinbefore, is journalled in the mainframe members 22 and has a wheel 28 secured, on either end thereof. Theends of the rear axle 24 are rotatively extended through tubularbushings 38 fixedly mounted through the frame members 22, as shown inFigs. 4 and 8. The axle 24 is offset just inside the frame members toprovide a crank, and the offset portion has journalled thereon a pair ofconnecting rods 40 pivoted each to the inverted U-shaped portions of aone-piece cross frame member 4| by a bolt 42, see also Fig. 8.

The ends of the frame member 4 I, exteriorly of the connecting rods 40,have secured thereto the rear ends of the front to rear frame members[6, which it will be remembered are the ones on which the legs I5 ofhorse [0 are secured.

The construction is such that members 4| comprise a reciprocating framemoved up and down by the connecting rods 40 as the rear axle 24 rotates.

It will be seen therefore, that as the toy rolls along on wheels 28 therotation of rear axle 24 will reciprocate the rear portion of the horseup and down through the connecting rods 40, the

frame members 4| and I6 and rear legs l5, so

that a hopping motion similar to the gait of a horse is imparted to thehorse-like figure [0.

In the modification of the invention shown in Fig. 9, the toy isprovided with a handle whereby it can be pushed about rather than pulledas in the previous form of the invention. The toy is illustrated ashaving a tubular handle 44 similar to that of a baby carriage, the endsof the handle being flattened as at 45 and secured to the frame bars 22.Struts 46 having one end secured to handle 44 and the other to frame bar23 preferably are provided to brace the handle.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A toy on which a child can ride comprising an anima1 figure, a frameon which said figure is secured, said frame being reciprocable up anddown at its rear end to reciprocate the rear portion of the figure upand down and comprising a pair of front to rear members, a cross framemember connecting the rear ends of said front to rear members, a mainframe on which the first mentioned frame is mounted at its front end, anauxiliary steering frame pivotally secured to said main frame at theforward end of the latter, a rear axle journalled in said main frame, afront axle journalled in said auxiliary 4 frame, wheels secured on theends of said axles, steering means including a steering column securedto said auxiliary frame and projecting through the said figure, and ahandle bar secured on the upper end of the column, and means actuated bythe rotation of the rear wheels to reciprocate the rear end of thefigure supporting frame up and down.

2. A toy on which a child can ride comprising an animal figure, a frame.on which said figure is secured, said frame being reciprocable up anddown at its rear end to reciprocate the rear portion of the figure upand down and comprising a pair of front to rear members, a cross framemember connecting the rear ends of said front to rear members, saidcross frame member having spaced inverted U-shaped members, a main frameon which the first mentioned frame is mounted at its front end, anauxiliary steering frame pivotally secured to said main frame at theforward end of the latter, a rear axle journalled in said main frame, afront axle journalled in said auxiliary frame, wheels secured on theends of said axles, steering means including a steering column securedto said auxiliary frame and projecting through the said figure, and ahandle bar secured on the upper end of the column, and means actuated bythe rotation of the rear wheels to reciprocate the rear end of thefigure supporting frame up and down, said reciprocating means includinga crank-like offset portion of said rear axle and a pair of connectinrods journalled on said offset portion and pivoted to and workingbetween the arms of the U-shaped portions of said cross frame member.

3. A toy on which a child can ride comprising an animal figure, a frameon Which said figure is secured, said frame being reciprocable up anddown at its rear end to reciprocate the rear portion of the figure upand dOWn and comprising a pair of front to rear members, a cross framemember connecting the rear ends of said front to rear members, a mainframeon which the first mentioned frame is mounted at its front end,said main frame comprising a pair of front to rear members, and frontand rear lateral members and a substantially centrally disposed lateralmember connecting said front to rear members, an auxiliary steeringframe pivotally secured to the cente of said front lateral member, arear axle journalled in the front to rear members of the main frame, afront axle journalled in said auxiliary frame, wheels secured on theends of said axles, steering means including a steering column securedto said auxiliary frame and projecting through the said figure, and ahandle bar secured on the upper end of the column, and means actuated bthe rotation of the rear wheels to reciprocate the rear end of thefigure supporting frame up and down.

4. A toy on which a child can ride'comprising an animal figure, a frameon which said figure is secured, said frame being reciprocable up anddown at its rear end to reciprocate the rear portion of the figure upand down and comprising a pair of front to rear members, a cross framemember connecting the rear ends of said front to rear members, saidcross frame member having spaced inverted U-shaped members, a main frameon which the first mentioned frame is mounted at its front end, saidmain frame comprising a pair of front to rear members, and front andrear lateral members and a substantially centrally disposedlateralmember connecting said front to rear members, an auxiliary steeringframe pivotally secured to the center of said front lateral member, arear axle journalled in the front to rear members of the main frame, afront axle journalled in said auxiliary frame, wheels secured on theends of said axles, steering means including a steering column securedto said axiliary frame and projecting through the said figure, and ahandle bar secured on the upper end of the column, and means actuatedby. the rotation of the rear wheels to reciprccate the rear end of thefigure supporting frame up and down, said recpirocatin means including acrank-like offset portion of said rear axle and a pair of connectingrods journalled on said offset portion and pivoted to and workingbetween the arms of the U-shaped portions of said cross frame member.

5. A toy on which a child can ride comprising an animal figure, a frameon which said figure is secured, said frame being reciprocable up anddown at its rear end to reciprocate the rear portion of the figure upand down and comprising a pair of front to rear members, a cross framemember connecting the rear ends of said front to rear members, saidcross frame member having spaced inverted U -shaped members, a mainframe on which the first mentioned frame is mounted at its front end,said main frame comprising a pair of front to rear members, and frontand rear lateral members and a substantially centrally disposed lateralmember connecting said front to rear members, an auxiliary steeringframe pivotally secured to the center of said front lateral member, andincluding a front member pivoted centrally to the main frame frontmember, a second located below the centrally disposed lateral member ofthe main frame, and connecting links between the ends of said secondmember and said auxiliary frame front member, a rear axle journalled inthe front to rear members of the main frame, a front axle journalled insaid auxiliar frame, wheels secured on the ends of said axles, steeringmeans including a steering column secured to said auxiliary frame andprojecting through the said figure, and a handle bar secured on theupper end of the column, and means actuated by the rotation of the rearwheels to reciprocate the rear end of the figure supporting frame up anddown, said reriprocating means including a crank-like offset portion ofsaid rear axle and a pair of connecting rods journalled on said offsetportion and pivoted to and working between the arms of the U-shapedportions of said cross frame member.

6. A toy on which a child can ride comprising an animal figure, a frameon which said figure is secured, said frame being reciprocable up anddown at its rear end to reciprocate the rear portion of the figure upand down and comprising a pair of front to rear members, a cross framemember connecting the rear ends of said front to rear members, saidcross frame member having spaced inverted U -shaped members, a mainframe on which the first mentioned frame is mounted at its front end,said main frame comprising a pair of front to rear members, and frontand rear lateral members and a substantially centrally disposed lateralmember connecting said front to rear members, an auxiliary steeringframe pivotally secured to the center of said front lateral member, andincluding a front member pivoted centrally t0 the main frame frontmember, a second member located below the centrally disposed lateralmember of the main frame, and connecting links between the ends of saidsecond member and said auxiliary frame front member, a rear axlejournalled in the front to rear members of the main frame, a front axlejournalled in said auxiliary frame, wheels secured on the ends of saidaxles, steering means including a steering column passing through saidcentrally disposed lateral main frame member and secured to said secondmember of the auxiliary frame and projecting through the said figure,and a handle bar secured on the upper end of the column, and meansactuated by the rotation of the rear wheels to reciprocate the rear endof the figure supportin frame up and down, said reciprocating meansincluding a crank-like offset portion of said rear axle and a pair ofconnecting rods journalled on said offset portion and pivoted to andworking between the arms of the U-shaped portions of said cross framemember.

MAURICE ME'I'H.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,357,110 Niemi Oct. 26, 19201,574,843 Nowak et a1. Mar. 2, 1926 1,676,062 Swanson July 3, 19281,721,093 Scully July 16, 1929 2,164,313 Duarte July 4, 1939 2,177,552Ruble Oct. 24, 1939

